Dreamscape
by Eileen Blazer
Summary: Obi-Wan and Amidala are hunted in their sleep by Vader. Will the nightmares ever end? Obidala and (I suppose) Ani/Ami.
1. Default Chapter

Yay! I fiiiiinally have a new story, that's actually done! Hurrah! And whats more, its gramatically correct, and hopefully makes sense, all thanks to my editor, Kazzie! Double Hurrah!  
  
Disclaimer: Wow, I actually remembered the disclaimer this time. That in itself should warrant some kind of award. I'm not asking much for my prize, just a few characters from Star Wars (ie Obi, Han). And maybe my own prime time TV show. ;) jk. Bye now!  
  
Summary: Obi-Wan and Amidala are hunted in their sleep by Vader. Will the nightmares ever end? Obidala and (I suppose) Ani/Ami.  
  
Riddle of the(though in no way related to) fic: In marble walls as white as milk Lined with skin as soft as silk Within a founatin crystal clear A golden apple doth appear No doors there are to this stronghold Yet thieves break in and steal the gold The answer will be posted with the next update  
  
And now, on with the show  
  
Dreamscape Eileen Blazer December 2002  
  
They both walk the path, heads held high, dignity intact despite their torn clothing, dirty faces, and the strange stench that could trace its origins to blood, spit, and Shatarkian excretion. A whip cracks and one gasps, surprised, aching, but momentarily untouched. Her eyes catch sight of the long black weapon and she follows it to where it winds around her companion's arm. Blood wells up in circles as it's roughly pulled away, but he doesn't blink twice. She knows for a fact that the pain was aimed for *her*.  
  
She squeezes his other hand tightly, the only way she can acknowledge his bravery and sacrifice. And then salty tears form a river from her eyes to her mouth and she curses herself. Never ever let them see you cry, that is the first rule of being a prisoner. Yet, here she is, weeping like a little girl, giving them the satisfaction they don't deserve.  
  
"Easy," He whispers, his voice soothing both in her ears and in her heart. "Just stay calm." He takes her palm and traces a pattern to her fingers, all the while never looking away from their destination.  
  
She nods. He's right, of course. It's amazing: his level-headedness, his calmness. Why couldn't she find that in herself?  
  
"I'm not afraid to die, you know." She tells him, in a voice that almost dares the brute behind them to react. "I just wish...I could have..." Her words trail off, as though the sandy wind has strangled their life away. The whip cracks again, this time at her legs and she shrieks, tumbling to the ground.  
  
Before either of them can be further punished 'for stalling', he lifts her up and cradles her willowy body to his chest, murmuring soft comforts. "It's all right, Amidala. Everything is going to be all right."  
  
She whimpers, low, like she did after the first days of their captivity. Blood flows from the open wounds of her bare legs, and streams into pools with his, a trail, a way back through the otherwise barren desert, a twisted take on Hansel and Gretel's forest adventure. And always, in the distance, the mechanical hum of their doom sounds, threatening to permeate past his mental walls and overtake his sanity.  
  
Her breath begins to even out and he's both proud and pained. Proud, because she's so strong and courageous. Pained, because she never should have been touched in the first place. Amidala's eyes flutter open and she smiles sadly at him.  
  
"Obi..." He shushes her gently. She doesn't need to tell him; he already knows. And reciprocates. But to acknowledge feelings of any kind at  
  
this moment would be to admit defeat. That is something he's not willing to do.  
  
Later, when she's at last returned to Naboo, or perhaps to the Senate, then they can deal with the emotions. At the moment, survival's the only important thing.  
  
"Set me down, please."  
  
"Your leg is hurt; it's not safe."  
  
But she starts to struggle in his arms. "Your arm is injured; it's not a good idea to waste your energy trying to hold me up."  
  
"It's no trouble." With a huff and a sigh she allows her body to go limp, locking her arms around his neck to give him support.  
  
"Don't blame me when you can't hold up your saber."  
  
"And I hope you won't blame me when I tell you they took away my saber a long time ago."  
  
The lashes have died down, and they can only imagine that the brute is too busy planning their demise.  
  
The sun above them burns brighter and brighter, its heat scorching like a lava pit. All are squinting now, blocking their eyes from the light.  
  
It's hot, overwhelmingly so, and she gasps for breath. His own air comes in pants, ragged and short. Something behind them hits the ground with a thud and slowly, they turn.  
  
The brute has collapsed, his face an abnormal green, twisting in pain. Water seeps out through his pores, drying before it touches the sand.  
  
"Wat...wat...er..." He manages before the sunlight intensifies again and his eyes roll back and his pores become large, gaping, awful holes.  
  
For a second, Amidala thinks she's free, until her own body gives out on her. She motions to look up at Obi-Wan but by the time she does, he's already lying on the desert. And suddenly the sun is brighter than before, suffocating, burning, searing...  
  
The sun flares up and its flames reach out towards them. There's a flash of light and then...nothing.  
  
* * *  
  
Obi-Wan sat up in bed, his heart beating faster than a racing pod. Instinctively he glanced over at the neighboring bed, and the lady that slept there. She was staring back at him with the same haunted expression that must have been in his own eyes. Her hands trembled slightly and sweat poured down her face.  
  
"It was more tangible than usual."  
  
He nodded, and sighed deeply. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed Obi reached out for the Force as a comfort.  
  
"When will they stop, Obi? It's been nearly a year and they still occur. They're even getting worse."  
  
He pulled open the curtain to the little shack, careful to not shed light on the alien asleep in the corner. Waving his hand back and forth, the Jedi Master summoned a piece of fruit to his hand.  
  
"There must be a way to resolve these dreams."  
  
"Dreams?" she spat, unable and unwilling to accept his euphemisms for the horrible images that haunted them so frequently. "These are *nightmares*, Obi-Wan."  
  
"Jedi don't have nightmares."  
  
"Which Jedi are you talking about?" she questioned harshly, not wanting to disillusion him but unable to stop the flow of words. "Who, other than you and Yoda, is left? I'm sorry to say this, but things have changed. The Council taught you to live in the old world, Obi. In world where you could be the guardian of peace. But this is a new place. Here, a dictator wants to kill us both, we're hunted constantly, and Jedi *do* have nightmares." Her heart fell into pieces at the look Obi-Wan gave her, so full of heartache. He walked closer and pulled her tightly to him, burying his face in her hair.  
  
Amidala hugged him back, wanting very much to cry. He needed the embrace, she knew, to assuage his emotions. But he was also hiding his face, placing it past her worried eyes.  
  
"I can't stop believing, Dala." He said into her ear. "It's who I am. The minute I give up my past life is the minute I become useless. What good am I as just another powerless fugitive?"  
  
"Yousa had bad dreams again?" asked Nia Binks, her young Gungan face sticking out from underneath a patched-up blanket.  
  
"Yeah," the former politician answered, walking over to smooth down the green cloth. "But it wasn't that bad this time. I think he's losing track of us." Her lie hung in the room like a dense fog. Obi-Wan tried not to notice. He thought instead of his former apprentice.  
  
Anakin, or Vader as he was now known, was getting closer. His power to haunt their dreams had increased, along with the lasting effects. Obi rubbed the welt left on his arm, a memory of something that hadn't happened. And they'd been so much closer to the machine that last time. If the sun hadn't decided to kill them, they might've even seen it.  
  
Life was so hard now, so much of a challenge. Obi-Wan had been trained to deal with suffering and pain and just about any obstacle possible, but *this*, this life, was almost too much.  
  
He would never forget the day Anakin turned. They'd been the victims of a robbery, nothing but petty items stolen by ignorant teens, but Anakin had been infuriated. In a rage, the powerful Jedi had lifted up his saber in evil and struck down the young boys. Their blood was the ink used to sign his contract with the Sith.  
  
Shocked and disturbed, Amidala and Obi-Wan snuck out in the middle of the night. They'd crept along the path of the tall Nubian palace, quiet and careful...and then disaster struck. Anakin woke up and found them missing. With anger in his heart and death at his fingertips he'd stormed after them.  
  
The look in his dark eyes when he caught up was a hurricane of hatred.  
  
Obi-Wan would've died then, but Jar Jar Binks, the old annoying friend, decided to honor the life debt owed to Obi's master. In a moment of glowing sabers and pure instinct, his body took the blow. Only one request remained for him to whisper, in the seconds allowed. "Protect my daughter, please."  
  
They ran until they were breathless and sore and then swam until the underwater kingdom welcomed them into its spheres. There Nia Binks, a small Gungan with her father's features and a bit more sense joined their little band of fugitives.  
  
They'd been running ever since.  
  
The dreams started when the other Jedi began falling. Obviously Anakin's power was getting stronger and he reached towards them in the middle of the night. It was always the same dream, same desert, same damn hum.  
  
A soft hand rubbed his shoulder and then arms clung to him from behind. He dipped his head to kiss the hand that rested over his neck. "It's time to move, Dala."  
  
"I know." She sighed and snuggled closer. "Have you chosen a star system yet?"  
  
"No. But it has to be extra safe and even more remote. The children will be born soon. They'll need a stable home for at least a few months."  
  
She nodded and placed a hand on her rounded stomach. Soon indeed. The twins were bursting to be free; Amidala prayed for them to remain in the womb. How could she ever care for them properly when she was being chased? How would she tell them that their father was something so evil? That he wanted them to die?  
  
Worse yet was the possibility that they might side with Anakin, even blame her for leaving.  
  
But what other choice did she have? She'd been around enough Jedi to know that the Sith were a dark and dangerous breed. Escape with Obi-Wan was the only way out.  
  
"What about D'rean?" Amidala muttered, searching out the patter of feet inside her stomach. "It's a very busy planet, big trade center, but the sort of place where people can get lost for a long time. I know about an island, halfway between coasts, that has zero population and good soil."  
  
"Oh?" Obi-Wan guided her to a chair and knelt beside her. "Is it safe?"  
  
Amidala turned her tired eyes to him. "As safe as any other place we might find." Which meant it was only secure until Anakin could fine point his powers in their direction.  
  
"I'll tell Nia."  
  
Moving had become a well tuned activity, rather like an assembly line at a factory. Swift, efficient, and thorough, they were ready to leave in a few hours. Obi-Wan lifted the baggage into the vehicle they'd just purchased from a trader, watching as the females climbed in. A smile touched his lips as he saw Amidala's hat. It was made for a man with a much larger head, so the sides flapped down onto her face. The clothes, hanging loosely over her small, protruding frame, matched it in both style and size.  
  
Sometimes, like then, Obi-Wan imagined they were a real family going on vacation or visiting relatives.  
  
But the sun was always masked again by a wave of clouds and with the loss of light came the dread. Shoving the last of the bags in, he slammed the door down and jumped into the driver's seat. It was time to go.  
  
****************  
  
A long time later Obi-Wan switched the ship to autopilot and took a seat next to Amidala, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder. Across from them, Nia's chest rose and dropped to a steady beat.  
  
The former queen watched the girl with envy.  
  
"How nice it must be," she murmured. "To sleep without fear. Nightmare-less."  
  
"Someday, Dala, you'll sleep like that."  
  
She snorted in a very un-royal like manner. "Yeah...when I'm dead." His arms tightened and she knew that she'd said too much.  
  
"Dala." The name, spoken in concern, rolled off his tongue beautifully. Anakin had always called her Padme, as her parents christened her. But she couldn't bear to hear that any longer. Now, it was Obi-Wan's soft whisper that she recognized as her name, the way he caressed the sound.  
  
If only she'd chosen the right knight to lead astray, things might have been different.  
  
Dala, a familiar voice in her head warned, don't start that. You love Anakin, as I love him like a brother. You made the only choice you could.  
  
Why did he have to know her so well? How dare he have access to her secrets - Jedi or not! But she shrugged in answer.  
  
They did have such an odd relationship. It was as if they were caught, stuck in the middle of something, unable to carry on in neither a completely platonic relationship nor an openly loving one. On the one hand, a year with Obi-Wan had shown her the wonderful man she'd dismissed so often during her times with Anakin. The arrogant, cool surface had melted away to reveal a struggling yet compassionate person. He had won her love with his dedication.  
  
However, on the other hand, she had no love to give. Anakin Skywalker was her husband and Obi-Wan's dearest friend. He may have been shoved into a dark corner of Vader's mind, but as long as he lived, there was hope. As long as a sliver of Ani remained, both his wife and friend would continue to pray for his return. That meant, naturally, there could be nothing between them that would interfere with the pre-existing harmonious relationships.  
  
Amidala sighed. It was time to sleep. She glanced at Obi-Wan, who was already watching her. Slowly, arduously, their eyes drifted shut.  
  
***********  
  
Something lashes down on Obi-Wan's back, but he ignores it. The pain isn't unbearable and his body not so weak. But girl beside him flinches, her brown eyes shutting tight with expectant fear.  
  
"Dala," he tells her. "You need to calm down." She nods and the sense pours back into her brain.  
  
Inner strength is their only weapon.  
  
A bit later, sweat trickles down their faces. The brute behind them shuffles through a pouch on his waist and pulls out a rag, wiping it furiously over his brow. Then he grasps a bottle of water and pours it down his throat. Only after he has temporarily gained relief, does he return his attentions to the couple before him.  
  
"Hurry it up." The brute snarls. "Stop trying to lag." And the whip bites at Obi-Wan's shoulder. The thin material of his shirt shreds, baring the fresh cuts to the harsh wind, but the only movement is the slow pace of feet against the sand.  
  
When the brute looks away for a moment Amidala reaches for Obi-Wan's hand, clutching it tightly. He almost smiles at the contact, until the hum grows louder.  
  
An animal meets them, a Shatarkian lizard. It nips playfully at Amidala's arm and she pulls away. Upset at her rejection, the creature runs ahead, nervous, losing his bowels on the way. The excretion lies in their path. The brute laughs and leads them straight into it, so that it covers the bottom of their legs and feet. Amidala wonders which is worse: the smell or the sting.  
  
"You should be glad," he calls, "to be with your own kind before you die."  
  
But it's going to take more than idle remarks and a few stinging cuts to break down the Jedi shields that Obi-Wan has set up around Amidala and himself.  
  
The sun flashes brightly and everyone covers their eyes.  
  
********************  
  
Amidala rubbed her eyes, sighing softly. She felt Obi-Wan stir and knew that he, too, was waking up. "That wasn't so bad."  
  
"No, it wasn't. He can't find us right now."  
  
"Maybe he won't be able to find us for a long while." Obi looked down at her.  
  
"I hope so."  
  
********************  
  
The planet the former queen had mentioned was easy to enter; no local government was currently in place and people came and went as they pleased. Finding the deserted island, however, was much more of a challenge. Amidala peered out through the viewer and squinted carefully.  
  
"I think...I think it's a little to the left. And down."  
  
"Looka that sand," Nia said happily. "Those-a trees!" Sometimes, the superior Gungan eyesight was a definite advantage. Under the girl's instructions the Jedi managed to land the plane safely on the ground.  
  
They filed out, Nia and Obi carrying bags. Amidala, so near the birth of her children, helped by collecting twigs and setting up a fire for cooking.  
  
No technology was near, nor any sign of civilization at all. Just trees, open space, and comfort. It was a sort of paradise, a chance for them to live, at least for a while, without paranoia and constant fear. What a marvellous feeling.  
  
*******  
  
At night, the two moons and the stars lit up the otherwise dark sky, and they shone like candles of hope. The babies responded to the atmosphere by kicking. Obi-Wan, Amidala and Nia lay out on beds of leaves, when the Jedi began to laugh.  
  
"What'sa so funny?" Nia asked, eager to share in the joke.  
  
"Well, the Force is very strong here." Obi-Wan explained. "And I can sense the babies trying to reach out. It's a very faint sense, but one of the most incredible feelings. They're going to be marvellous Jedi." He caught Amidala's eye and, carefully, said, "Anakin would be very proud."  
  
She smiled at the thought of her husband as he was; a shinning face filled with love and devotion. She remembered him at her side: kissing the place behind her ear, and bent over a table, fighting within himself a battle between Jedi and mere man. She remembered him and Obi-Wan, exchanging witty insults while duelling with sabers, both of them sparkling with pleasure. "Yes, he would have."  
  
Amidala closed her eyes and sighed. Nostalgia was a blessing. "I'm going to sleep now. Wish me luck."  
  
Nia looked back and forth, from one guardian to another. Finally she threw herself backwards into the cot. "Meesa too."  
  
Only the Jedi folded his arms and remained awake. He had other things to consider for the moment. One way or another, he was going to stop the dreams.  
  
  
  
To be continued. 


	2. chapte 2

Hi! The second chapter. I'm so awful about updates, even when the   
story is finished prior to posting. But here it is, a month later.   
  
Quick thanks to Kazzie, my editor, who is the nicest, most patient   
person every, who catches many an error. And who reads my stories, even when there are months between my posting them. Thank you!  
  
Oh, and the answer to the riddle? An egg.   
  
  
Please Review!  
  
  
Dreamscape  
Eileen Blazer  
  
  
Part Two  
  
  
Amidala frowns as she feels cool wisps of air tickle her bare feet. Her   
hands, lying by her side, are pillowed by flower petals and silk   
feathers. She sits up at once, more than shocked.  
  
"Hello Padme." A tender voice whispers. "Isn't this just like our time   
on Naboo?"   
  
The voice spirals through her ears and her heart leaps. "Ani!" She   
cries. Tilting her head back, she finds him squatting behind her. "Ani, is that you?"  
  
He nods and blows her a kiss. His gaze is warm and comforting. "You're   
so lovely Padme. Isn't this perfection? Nothing but nature and the view   
and us. Couldn't you live here forever?"   
  
"It's a nice dream. If only the world allowed it."  
  
"But it does Padme, there are no other worries." He touches the skin of   
her arm. "Nothing else to think about."  
  
  
"There's the Republic. And the real Naboo - we're still fighting with   
the Trade Federation. They don't want to give up a few colonies that   
they've stolen." His touch grows rougher, but just barely. She doesn't   
mention it.  
  
"I suppose you'd miss some people too."  
  
"Well, I suppose-"  
  
"I suppose you'd miss Obi-Wan."  
  
"Wouldn't you? He's your mentor, Ani. Don't you-"  
  
But he slams her wrists back into the ground and suddenly the flowers   
aren't so soft. "You like him an awful lot, don't you Padme? Perhaps you even love him. Perhaps you wouldn't be so reluctant to abandon the   
galaxy if he was offering paradise."  
  
She gasps softly as his fingers plunge deeper into her skin. "No, I   
love you Ani-"  
  
"Really?" Disbelief drips from his words like water from a hanging   
sponge. "Was I imagining all those touches - the whispers? I know what's going on; I've always known. But he won't get you, Padme. No one can have you but me."  
  
His mouth leaps on to hers, pressing onto her lips in a painful kiss.   
One hands roams down her body, forcing her close to him. "You're mine,"   
he whispers. "Forever." He releases her then, and she rolls away,   
sobbing.  
  
He'd never been so cruel before. Why now?  
  
But then a pain is shooting down her spine and her mouth drops in   
shock. She manages to turn around and sees Ani holding a blaster, smoke   
still dancing from the weapon. His metal fingers crunch it and toss it   
aside. He begins to laugh, and suddenly the sound is muffled. Anakin's face is hidden behind a black mask and armor.  
  
The rise and fall of his breath is clearly marked by a loud respirator,   
but beneath that sound is something else. She can hear a hum, ever so   
lightly. As the pain rips her apart, one startling realization runs   
through her mind.  
  
Anakin's suit hums.   
  
******************************  
  
  
"He found me anyway." The Jedi, wrapped up in deep meditation, took a   
moment to respond to Amidala's voice. But when he did fully re-enter   
reality he found himself facing a flushed, disturbed Amidala.   
  
"What?"  
  
"We came all this way, and he found me anyway. I was sleeping, or   
trying to, and then I saw Anakin and he was himself at first, but then he became jealous and frightening, and oh, Obi, his suit hums!" She ran closer, demanding his embrace. Once inside his arms, she continued. "At first that was all I could think of - his humming suit, but I didn't know why. And then, all of a sudden, I remembered the desert and that sound, and...and..." Her words faltered, and Obi-Wan replaced them with his own quiet consolations.  
  
Meanwhile, he tried to process the new information. They'd know all   
along that Anakin had been creating the dreams, but had he put himself   
into that nightmare too? What was that in the distance they never dared to reach?  
  
Death, they'd always assumed. But did the stealer-of-lives have a   
kindred spirit nearby - Vader?  
  
And more importantly, could that knowledge be used to end the hunt?  
  
"How did he find me?" Amidala asked. "How so soon? So close?"  
  
"He was probably looking for you alone, so it didn't require as much   
power as sending it to two people. I'm sorry, I didn't think about this   
possibility..."  
  
"I just want it to stop, Obi-Wan. Just make it stop."  
  
The Jedi was determined to do just that.  
  
**********************  
  
Obi-Wan and Amidala made sure that Nia was sleeping soundly before   
taking their own place on the beds of leaves. Sleep would be hard to find now, but the pair was nothing if not strong-willed.  
  
There was also the familiar hesitation to return to the dream world,   
but it was lessened by the thought that this time Obi-Wan, not Vader, was the one drawing them into it. It was his mind reaching across space, channeling the Force.  
  
Perhaps now they could maintain some degree of control once submersed   
in the sleepy spell.   
  
The plan was Obi-Wan's idea. Vader was somewhere in the dream -   
presumably at the end of their march. If they could confront and defeat him, then maybe he would stop the nighttime hunt.   
  
"Please let this work," Amidala prayed before slipping away...  
  
*************************  
  
The Brute is already dehydrated. He searches out his water container,   
but angrily tosses it away when it offers him but a few drops. "Look   
straight," He mutters, cracking the whip.   
  
Even the snap of the weapon sounds weak.  
  
Amidala breathes deeply. She can, amazingly, recognize the world around   
her as a fake one; even the sun seems to be circling the world, in   
direct contradiction to every rule of space she knows.  
  
It's a comfort to know she will wake up eventually.  
  
Always near her, Obi-Wan, too, is examining the setting with new   
insight. He raises his eyebrows and gestures carefully to the Brute.   
  
We can attack him now, while he struggles with his shortage of   
moisture. She delights at the sound of his voice in her head and sees it as a sign of good luck. Obviously, they have retained a measure of control.  
  
Ready He tells her, and she latches onto a piece of shredded   
clothing, Now! She rips the patch of cloth away, and lunges for the Brute.   
The burly creature struggles against them, but is not nearly strong   
enough to make an adequate stand. Amidala winds the cloth around its neck and tugs, and the ghastly head slumps forward.  
  
Obi-Wan grabs the rope. "A bit vicious, don't you think?"  
  
She shrugs. "It would have been worse to leave him here burning to   
death. At least the end came quick."  
  
"Indeed." He folds the Brute's arms and rests the head back – it's   
against the Jedi ways to kill anything in such conditions and leave the   
body disgraced. "Let's go."  
  
They follow the hum, pretending that it's not unnerving or maddening.   
The walk feels like it's gotten longer; that, or the sun's got   
brighter.Squinting, they hike towards their goal.   
  
And at last they top the mountain and stare down the other side.  
  
A small black robot is at the bottom, not any higher that three feet.  
But it begins to grow until it's twice the size of a man, and then four   
times, and then it's a huge giant, its enormous eyes level with their   
own.  
  
It laughs.  
  
"Fools. You think you can lure me to my own creation and destroy me?"   
The voice is deeper, but Amidala recognizes it as the same suit Anakin   
wore in her dream, and knows it's him.   
  
"Leave us alone, Vader. We won't live in perpetual fear any longer."  
  
"Come now, Padme, I do believe you have to deal with me quite a bit   
longer. It was in the wedding vows, Darling."  
  
Obi-Wan pulls out the whip and it bangs into the helmet, leaving a   
scratch. "We're here to end your hunt."  
  
"Ah, the traitor speaks. What's the matter, Master?" The last word is   
sneered, "Haven't you stolen enough from me?"  
  
"He's taken nothing but the pieces you've scattered across the floor.   
How dare you attack him for helping us after you tore apart our lives."  
  
"And how dare you come before me in such a blatantly adulterous   
manner."  
  
The scene shifts; Amidala and Obi-Wan are on level ground, and Vader is   
life-size. He reaches for his saber. "I think we better rid ourselves   
of this third wheel, Padme. He's come between us too many times. We'll   
settle our marital problems alone."   
  
The men engage in a duel, jumping this way, thrusting that way. The   
rise and fall of the glowing sabers is as steady as Amidala's own heart.  
  
Suddenly, she cries out to them "Ani, stop it!" The men freeze, though   
they remain wary of each other. "Anakin," she repeats, "you know that   
Obi-Wan cares about you almost as much as I do."  
  
The armor flickers, as though it were a hologram surrounding his body.   
"You tell lies. He always held me back!"  
  
"No! He trained you when others advised against it. He taught you to be   
a Jedi."  
  
Again, the armor fades. "He stole you, and what can possibly balance   
that?!"  
  
"He didn't steal me, Ani. You deserted me."   
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!" She steps forward, and her shredded clothes give way to the   
regal robes of Naboo. "Why don't you start acting like a man, Anakin? Why don't you defend me and your children from the real enemy – yourself? Don't tell me that the all powerful Anakin Skywalker, who was going to stop death itself, can't control his own actions."  
  
He clutches at his own head, dropping the saber. Out of respect,   
Obi-Wan backs away and shuts off his own blade. Vader shakes his head.  
  
"What are you doing, you idiot!" He screams at himself. "Don't let her   
tear you apart." But the inner battle continues, and the black suit   
starts flickering more often.  
  
"LIES! SHE WANTS YOU TO DIE, SO THAT SHE AND HER NEW LOVER CAN  
LEAVE TOGETHER!" It's an odd sight to see a warrior shout at the wind,   
to curse at himself.   
  
"No!" The Anakin in him responds. "She's right. You led me away from   
her. She and my master are all I have, they wouldn't lie! They are good   
people."  
  
"I won't let you!" The hum stops, and its so abrupt everyone is   
confused for a moment. During the battle it became a part of the background, an expected addition to the setting.  
  
When they finally re-adjust, they realize that the suit is now more   
gone that present. "If I must, I will banish you, boy!" Vader screams.   
"Let's see you survive in this dream without my power to sustain you."  
  
The black armor fades away permanently, leaving the limp body of  
Anakin Skywalker to crash unceremoniously to the floor.  
  
His wife rushes to his side, kneeling down and lifting his head into   
her lap. She holds him, clinging desperately to remnants of the man she   
loved. "You did it, Ani. You helped us defeat Vader. You can be in   
control," she tells him, "you can change your destiny."  
  
Enraptured by the passion she shows his blue eyes stare at her for a   
moment, a reflection of his humanity. And there is something undeniably   
good in the small smile he manages to give her. She feels hope rising   
within her: perhaps they can all return to the real world together, to be the trio of friends once more.  
  
But Anakin starts convulsing, clutching at his chest, jerking. Amidala   
looks to Obi-Wan for help, but the older man shakes his head sadly.  
  
Anakin gives them one final glance, and then is still. She makes a   
small sound, trying to accept the situation.  
  
"He's really dead this time, isn't he?" The woman cradles her fallen   
love. "We won't see him again in this life."  
  
The Jedi doesn't answer. He searches that special Force for his own   
answers and nods slowly. She's half right - they won't see him again in   
this life. But the mind of Vader is a vast, complex house of pains, where things are easily lost and rediscovered.  
  
He won't tell her this, and feed her hope for something that won't   
happen in her lifetime. It's better to let her find her own peace.  
  
Something of a miracle happens then.   
  
In the achingly hot desert, where beasts and man fall prey to the sun's   
rays, where the ground is scorched until only burnt sand is left, it   
starts to rain.  
  
And cleanses them all.  
  
******  
  
They held the service beside the river. As was a custom on Naboo, a   
small box had been wrapped in ribbon and cast into the waters. Amidala and   
Obi-Wan shared memories of Anakin, both as a boy and as a man. Nia,   
ever the youth, insisted on collecting a bucket full of wild flowers and throwing them in the water.   
  
As she'd reminded them very matter-of-factly, he'd need some to give   
his mother when they were reunited.  
  
The Jedi funeral didn't take place, mostly because Obi-Wan had a   
feeling that the story was far from over. But he did genuflect on the grass and hope for guidance and peace in his friend's name. A smooth stone made the perfect spot for Obi-Wan to leave one of two weapons his old apprentice had left behind. He placed the lightsaber there, smiling a bit.  
  
Then Obi-Wan heard Amidala shout for him. He tapped his hand against   
the rock. "We'll finish this later," he said. "I sense important changes for you in the future, old friend."  
  
  
***********************  
  
The children had been born soon after that, not long before they parted   
ways.   
  
The decision to split wasn't as hard as one might have imagined.   
Indeed, it was Amidala's idea, first approached as she stared into the faces of her children.  
  
"His name is Lukan." She told Obi-wan, as he held the boy. "It means   
promise." She held up the gurgling girl. "And this is Leia. It was the name of a great queen."  
  
The babies, who had Amidala's slight frame and a pudgy nose that looked   
very similar to one on the dirt-smeared face of a young boy they'd once   
met on Tatooine, were charming little people. And, as the Jedi had   
previously noted, very strong in the Force.  
  
"I believe they signal the rebirth of the Jedi." He told her now. "It's   
amazing...if the academy were still in place, they'd would have already   
begun their training."  
  
"Will you teach them?"  
  
"No. They can't afford to learn anything too soon. We don't want any   
attention from Vader. He may be banished from our dreams, but he's very   
much a threat in reality."  
  
She knew that. Her greatest fear now was losing them. "I've been   
thinking..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"They aren't really safe together, are they? They'll always be   
Skywalker children, always possess a slightly abnormal amount of Force in them. I may not be one of you, but I know that other Jedi know how to recognize one of their own. How long will it be until someone - a Sith - sees himself in my babies?"  
  
It was a touchy subject. Obi-Wan couldn't deny the dangers of remaining   
together, nor did he want to leave her alone.  
  
But she already had a plan. "They mean the world to me, Obi. I won't   
risk their lives for the sake of my emotions. If it's safer for them to   
be apart, then that's what has to happen. I've already spoken with Bail, he offered us a place."  
  
"Us?" He repeated softly.  
  
"Leia, Nia and I. I want you to take my son, and watch over him. Make   
him like you."  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed, feeling more emotion than a Jedi ought to. "I   
would consider it an honor, Senator Amidala." He swirled around and   
caught her by the wrist. Leaning in, he asked. "Do you think it would be terribly disgraceful for a Jedi to give up his pledge for just a moment?"  
  
She allowed herself to be gathered into his arms. "I won't tell if you   
won't."  
  
He grinned a quirky, average sort of grin, before dipping his head and   
pressing his lips against hers. Her arms linked around his neck, and   
for a few precious seconds, Obi-Wan felt what it was like to be a regular man.  
  
Then they fell apart and he turned back to the children. "I've got a   
good feeling about them."  
  
********  
  
The real sorrow came at the actual separation.  
  
Amidala, Obi-Wan, Nia, and the babies stood on a launching pad, one group ready to leave the planet by way of speeder, the other with a ship waiting at the end of the docking bay.  
  
Obi-wan knelt down and took the young gungan's hand. "You have a great future before you."  
  
The girl blushed and threw her arms around his neck.   
  
"Sometimes," Amidala muttered, "I wish we were the oblivious ones. The   
people too absorbed in their own little spheres to bother with anything   
else." She was fighting back the regrets, trying to remember why she'd   
drafted the plan in the first place.  
  
Obi-Wan frowned, stood up, and raised the hood on her head to peer at her eyes. "Dala, look around you. Yes, there are the oblivious, who care only for themselves, and the helpless who can't even afford that. But we're in another group - a group that can fight back."  
  
"Oh, that's wonderful, Obi. We get to live in fear and watch our   
friends die-"  
  
"We get the power to change things for the better. I believe that many   
changes will spring up in the future; Dala, we're planting those seeds   
today."  
  
She stared hard at the ground for a long time, before smiling a   
beautiful smile. It came across her face slowly, hesitantly, but it came just the same. Amidala glanced at the child in her arms, a tiny baby girl.   
  
Leia smiled in response to her mother's wide grin. One tiny hand   
reached up. A hand that could someday grow to wield a sword of freedom.  
  
Amidala met Obi-Wan's gaze for what would be the last time. Her mouth   
was curved, her eyes determined, her chin high, as though she were that   
same child queen back on Naboo. "You're right, Obi-Wan. As always.   
You'd think years of watching you gloat would teach me to just go along   
with your wisdom the first time around."  
  
"Think of how dull things would've gotten."  
  
"On Naboo we have a custom," she said, abruptly changing the subject.   
"Good-bye is tainted by its negative connotation. So we say 'Tre Istol   
Norua Maykeen' – it's in the language of the elders. It means, roughly   
translated, may our joy always unite us."  
  
Obi-Wan let the air gush from his a slight part in his lips. "That is   
much better." He shifted the boy he carried to one side, and his free   
hand traced Amidala's face. Then it fell to the baby girl and tickled   
her chin. "Tre Istol Norua Maykeen...was that right?"  
  
"Yes." Amidala pulled her hood low, and wrapped a scarf around Leia.   
She started to go, but pulled back suddenly and reached for Lukan. Obi-Wan surrendered the child.  
  
She buried her face in her baby boy and whispered quietly. "Mama loves   
you, Lukan. Mama always loves you."  
  
And then in movement so garceful and fast it would rival a Jedi's   
reflexes, she had thrust him back into Obi-Wan's arms and ran down the steps of the launching pad. The Jedi listened to the pattern of her feet along the cool hard steps.  
  
Then he slung his own bag over his shoulder and secured Lukan to his   
chest. "It's the two of us for now, Luke. We've much to accomplish in   
little time. Have I ever told about your Uncle Owen?..."  
  
  
FIN 


End file.
